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Take a very close and piercing look at the phenomena known as religion and science, and as I'll introduce a fascinating cast of curious characters you may not have met before.

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Excerpt:

The field of esoteric inquiry known as the occult is most often greatly misunderstood and more often than not, misused, so we must make a concerted effort to get a mental and spiritual grasp on that of which we speak. For some readers, the so-called occult and anything about magic are negative terms, so in light of this, we must be very careful. My basic quest in this book is to gain a clear understanding of certain words we use. In several ways, as pagan believers, our ways of thinking and our basic belief systems, that is to say, our religion, our faith, is disrespected, denigrated and suppressed. To begin with, anything remotely associated with "occult activities" and "magical thinking" is discouraged by a host of church, state, medical and educational "authorities", especially in their public indoctrination centers which they call schools. Rest assured, my esoteric explorations go in a completely different direction, intellectually, spiritually and politically. As you will see, this first chapter presents both information and challenges.

For explanations that are more exact and a deeper understanding of occultism, I turn to an early twentieth century author whose pseudonym was Dion Fortune. Born Violet Mary Firth in Wales, she took her interesting pen name from an old Latin family motto, "Deo non fortuna", meaning "From God, not fate or mere luck". Early on, the child proved perceptive and psychic. While ever and always devoted to occultism, spirituality, metaphysics and esoteric studies, this remarkable woman also studied psychology at the University of London, becoming a lay psychotherapist at a time when this newly evolving profession was dominated by male medical doctors. Between 1922 and 1934, she wrote six books on the subject under her own name.

"Her first magical mentor was the Irish occultist and Freemason Theodore Moriarty. In 1919 she was initiated into the London Temple of the Alpha et Omega before transferring to the Stella Matutina order. She wrote a number of novels and short stories that explored various aspects of magic and mysticism. Of her non-fictional works on magical subjects, the best remembered of her books are; The Cosmic Doctrine, meant to be a summation of her basic teachings on mysticism, The Mystical Qabalah, an introduction to Hermetic Qabalah, and Psychic Self Defence , a manual on how to protect one's self from psychic attacks. Though some of her writings may seem dated to contemporary readers, they have the virtue of lucidity, and the avoidance of the deliberate obscurity that characterised many of her forerunners and contemporaries. Her masterpiece, The Mystical Qabalah was first published in England in 1935, eleven years before her death from leukemia." Wikipedia.

Understanding Occultism and the Ancient Mysteries.

Socrates was wise, indeed, recognizing that the beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms. This is especially true of the subjects we endeavor to study and understand. As we know, the very term, occult, is a "loaded word" with all kinds of preconceptions and misconceptions which, hopefully, I shall dispel. Unless indicated, quotations are from Dion Fortune's The Deeper Issues of Occultism.
"This question we may very well ask if we intend to devote time and trouble to its pursuit. Are we to content ourselves with tales of haunted houses, accounts of telepathy among primitive peoples, and research into the esoteric literature of the past? These things certainly have their value; all available occult phenomena should be carefully investigated, not only for the sake of obtaining knowledge, but also for the sake of unmasking charlatans; and the results obtained by investigators in the past are of the greatest value for counter-checking the results we are obtaining at the present day. But is this enough? Is our attitude towards occult science to be the same as our attitude towards the classical languages, in which we admire the masterpieces of antiquity but ourselves produce no living literature in the present?"

"We know that the Ancient Mysteries exercised a profound influence on the ancient civilizations, and that some of the noblest men and women of all races were inspired by them, and looked on them with reverence and awe. Are the phenomena we call "occult" merely those of the seance room on a larger scale, or, in addition to the little known laws of Nature whose operations we seek to understand, is there an energizing spiritual influence such as raised the consciousness of the initiates of old, and gave them a deeper understanding of their gods?"

From our earliest primeval origins many eons ago, we know that the answer to her question was and is a definite yes. The secrets of occultism are congruent and harmonious with what are called the ancient mysteries. All these topics could be called hidden matters. Much of the purview of occultism, metaphysics and esotericism is beyond the scope of orthodox science and the scientific paradigm for investigation. Ergo, we must move beyond the confines of "traditional" studies. Fortune tells us that while what we consider the occult (such as psychometry; clairvoyance, divination, etc.) is hard to scientifically investigate, a full exploration requires one to take an additional step in the adventure.

"There is, however, another aspect to occult science as well as its scientific side, and that is the realm of inner experience which experimentation opens up. The gateway into the Unseen can be found by the practical application of its principles, and those who care to fulfill the conditions and take the risk may adventure therein. The powers that the ancient rituals invoked still remain, and are not very far to seek for those who combine knowledge, faith, and courage."

"If, however, we desire to essay this adventure, we should remember that the ancient rituals were used as part of a religious system, and that no initiate of the ancient Mystery schools would ever have dreamed of experimenting with them to satisfy his curiosity or love of the marvelous. He approached them with reverence, after strict discipline of character and severe tests of fitness. It was when the lofty ideals fell into abeyance that black magic began."

"If we want to penetrate into the deeper issues of occultism, it is not enough that we should approach it out of intellectual curiosity. This will reveal us no more than its outer form. The Occult Path is not so much a subject of study as a way of life. Unless the element of devotion and sacrifice be present, the key will not turn in the lock that opens the door of the Mysteries. Unless we approach the Sacred Science as did the initiates of old, we shall not find in it what they found."

Dion Fortune's teachings are quite profound and sincere. Some might call this religion and philosophy, but others see it as an endeavor in blessed knowledge, eternal truth, hence the sacred sciences. From this, we see that the whole paradigm we call occultism refers to activities and explorations in the spiritual, metaphysical and mystical realms.